“…Is that the end, then?”
The man standing before me delivered what was supposed to be an impassioned presentation, but I stared at him with such indifference that it made me want to deflate his arrogance. Maybe because he only used words I knew, his excitement felt exaggerated, and I had this inexplicable urge to knock him down a peg or two.
More precisely, it was his certainty that only he could understand all of this. While he was loudly emoting, I’d already finished comprehending the paper in question.
Frankly, flipping through its pages with delicate fingers felt more laborious than actually understanding the content.
It was undoubtedly an intriguing theory. Mirrors, windows—call them what you will. From the moment this person devised a magical formula capable of interfering with parallel worlds and summoning entities from them, they were deserving of being called a genius of their era.
But there’s a problem: an unparalleled genius. A one-of-a-kind magician.
A child of the Blue Dragon, heir to the Black Mage Tower. Someone who can proudly claim to be among the top five experts in magic worldwide—and here he is, strutting around in front of me like some know-it-all.
“…Yes, that’s it. It’s over. What do you think…? If you could kindly review my theory positively, I would be most grateful! Just imagine! The limitless development and progress this technology might bring! Aren’t you excited!? Perhaps we’ll reach a world where iron carriages move automatically! Or even flying steel vessels in the sky…!”
“Calm yourself first. You… your name is Alcatraz, correct? Anyway, Mr. Alcatraz. Your theory has certainly caught my attention. However…”
I took pleasure in watching the joy drain from the man’s face, replaced instantly by tension and fear. But I wasn’t about to repeat the same cruel antics as that pot-bellied demon of a professor from another world.
Even ignoring those base reasons, there were mountains of issues. Setting aside the simple ones, let’s start with the complex yet crucial points.
“Is there any guarantee that beings from parallel worlds will be friendly toward our world? Of course, I know you’ve prepared some safety measures. But what I’m asking is, what if you summon something so powerful that it tears through your safety protocols like tissue paper?”
“But… but I have countermeasures ready for such contingencies!”
“A few years ago, there was a tragic incident in Sidoori. You must remember it. The cause was a summoning ritual. An unexpectedly powerful entity forced its way into the summoning circle, reducing countless nations and heroes to ash.”
The man opened his mouth as if to say something, but in response to my words, he could only emit strange, unintelligible noises without forming a coherent rebuttal.
“Even targeted summoning rituals are this dangerous, yet your method… hmm. In layman’s terms, it randomly pulls something from a possibility pool. Meaning, the chances of summoning something dangerous are much higher. Even if no outside entity interferes, the summoned being could simply be too powerful for us to handle—or outright hostile.”
Now the man stood frozen, silent, resembling a gargoyle.
Trampling on someone’s passion is always somewhat enjoyable, but it isn’t entirely pleasant either.
“And above all, this spell cannot be implemented at its most fundamental level. Output comparable to a dragon heart is required. Where do you plan to get that from? Surely, you’re not thinking of hunting dragons?”
The man, who had been frozen like a gargoyle, suddenly regained life as if the petrification spell had worn off, clearly having something to say on this matter.
“That… originally, this spell was designed under the assumption that Lady Alterra would use it, so it shouldn’t pose a major issue…”
At that, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh—not because it was cute, but because it was absurdly pathetic. Magic, by definition, should be something others can learn and use, yet he abandoned that principle?
“Hmph. So you’ve given up on usability altogether, have you? Alcatraz… you’re affiliated with the Black Mage Tower, right? I’ve heard rumors about the eccentrics there, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”
The man looked utterly dejected, as though his tail (if he had one) had curled up between his legs.
“Then… does this mean my research… will meet the same fate as others… the ‘disposal’?”
Of course, I wanted to say. Something no one else can use, and when asked about stability, fails that test too.
Utterly unstable and dangerously unpredictable—who knows what might emerge.
“No. Didn’t I say your work caught my interest, Mr. Alcatraz? Congratulations. I’ll make your theoretical pipe dream a reality. Hand over all your research materials… here. Room 123 on the first floor. Good luck moving forward.”
Overjoyed, the man handed over all his documents without hesitation and left the room. Honestly, handing over something he’d risked his life researching so casually—and celebrating about it—is baffling.
Magic users really are incomprehensible.
Thinking this to myself, I dissolved the enchantment woven into my robes. Alone, it feels better to take them off. Not that I was n*ked underneath—I was properly dressed.
Even though it’s just an illusionary robe, having it on or off doesn’t make much difference, but psychologically, it feels better without.
Good. No one’s watching, so…
I infused a bit of mana into the slime bed tucked away in the corner, enlarging it, and unceremoniously threw myself onto it.
With a satisfying “boing,” an unreal sense of comfort enveloped me, forcing me to stretch instinctively.
“Hyaaaahh… nyaahhh…”
While stretching my back, I twisted my ankles, wrists, and neck to shake off the accumulated fatigue. Then, still in that position, I skimmed through the research materials handed over by Alca… what was his last name again?
Mirrors. Reflections. Creating virtual images. Projection. Complicated and headache-inducing concepts and formulas flashed before my eyes, but understanding them posed no issue.
In short, it was akin to playing around with the principles of mirrors. Since mirrors reflect reality, if you somehow managed to reflect something that doesn’t exist in reality within a mirror…
Mirrors can’t reflect non-existent things, so the solution would involve bringing the existence into reality to resolve the contradiction—a pun-like approach that sounds absurd.
Absurd as it may sound, 60% of magic operates exactly like that in this world. Contradictions and wordplay. Even the wise and venerable Father isn’t exempt from this.
So, yes, it will likely work. Preventing interdimensional entities from interfering mid-process is merely a matter of channeling all my focus, so it’s not a fatal flaw.
If I were to call it a fatal flaw, it would be the hostility or danger of whatever crosses over. Most situations I can probably handle on my own, but if—just if—
If something beyond my capacity crosses over…
What then? Calling Father would be ideal, but since he’s on a business trip, immediate assistance won’t be possible.
He’ll arrive quickly enough, but if it’s something I can’t handle, this area will be annihilated before he gets here. Either way, it’s a problematic spell.
If only I could guide the summoning towards a specific entity… The only sure thing is that fidgeting on this slime bed will only drain the little willpower I have left.
Rolling off onto the floor, I continued flipping through the thesis. Walking towards the lab, I decided against walking when my body protested after just a few steps. Instead, I infused mana into my staff and flew like a witch on her broomstick.
Ah, right. Clothes. People were staring for some reason, so I wrapped myself in lightning, overlaying the texture of my robe over it.
As long as it looks like a robe, that’s fine.
Flying through the corridors past people, I entered the lab, where explosions, shattering glass, sizzling liquids, and human screams filled the air.
The evaluation deadline is approaching, isn’t it? They must be desperate to avoid expulsion or demotion, squeezing every ounce of creativity they have.
Hang in there. I silently cheered them on before requesting my usual room from the homunculus at the reception desk, who readily handed over the key.
Privilege, indeed. With the Master of the Black Mage Tower as my father, I’m being incredibly restrained. At least I haven’t chased out others conducting experiments nearby.
Fiddling with the key on my finger, I spied on others’ trials, which were shaping up to be total disasters.
That one will fail. That one will be expelled. Just glancing over their shoulders, I could see their futures. Since I had no intention of helping, I silently retreated to my personal lab.
As soon as the door closed, the external chaos faded into silence.
This place actually belongs to another realm, overseen by a now-deceased god, if memory serves. The dark skies and cracked earth seem to confirm it.
That aside, opening the flask imbued with weight reduction and internal expansion enchantments, I poured its contents onto the floor.
Upon contact, the liquid emitted a chilling “tsk-tsk” sound as it solidified into crystal.
Channeling electrical mana into the crystal mass turned it back into liquid.
For this experiment, I needed a mirror, high concentration, and a power source comparable to a dragon’s heart. Once the mirror was ready, the setup would be complete.
Though my small hands and stature prevented me from creating a satisfactorily large mirror, a handheld mirror would suffice for summoning interdimensional beings.
It should work fine.
Simultaneously pouring mana into the mirror and adding a newly devised formula,
What is it? A formula to limit the target summoned from the parallel world. Specifically, limiting it to me.
No other entity would attempt to destroy the world or k*ll another version of me.
Most importantly, I’m curious about what the alternate version of me looks like.
My heart pounded as my breathing crackled strangely.
The image in the mirror gradually blurred, and soon, something other than myself began to appear.
…White hair, tall… big chest… long hair… good figure… brown skin… what is that? Yellow eyes… clothes… is that?
Is this the me from the parallel world…?
Something that hardly seemed like “me” appeared in the mirror.
“…Myungho! This place is dangerous! d*mn it, if only I hadn’t let my guard down…! What is this place…!?”
What is that?
